The U.S. Postal Service motto: "Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stays these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds," is holding true in western North Carolina as mail carriers get back to serving most routes in the mountains after Helene.
The USPS said it has reopened 97 offices in western North Carolina that had to close because of Helene. Twenty-one post offices are still closed.
Flooding from Helene destroyed the post office in Micaville, which sits along a creek in Yancey County, northeast of Asheville. Another 20 facilities have flood damage and 40 are without power.
USPS said it has set up mobile units in the region to help make sure people have access to send and receive mail.
Immediately after Helene, USPS could not reach more than 450 delivery routes. That number is down to 35, USPS said in a news release.
“Our operations team has worked around the clock to restore operations wherever safely possible however there is significant work to be done to deliver a backlog of mail and packages and reopen routes in the areas hit hardest by Hurricane Helene,” USPS said in a release early this week. “The full recovery of service to the area may stretch forward for some time.”
Of the more than 820 USPS facilities operating in North Carolina, the agency says the local areas with ZIP codes starting with 286, 287 and 288 were hardest hit. USPS teams are working in those areas where possible to get items moving and are working to get into other areas that remain inaccessible.
In an update provided on Monday, Oct. 7, USPS said:
97 postal facilities reopened, however, 21 still remain closed. The operations from these closed facilities are in the process of being transferred to other locations
1 facility destroyed: Micaville (PO box office) 28755
20 facilities with flooding, 40 facilities without power
All impacted delivery offices are attempting delivery where safe to do so
44 Retail Offices offering cash only transactions
Sunday delivery made in some affected offices
Delayed mail that was accumulated prior to and immediately after the Hurricane has now been delivered to every accessible delivery point
All mail destined for North Carolina that cannot be delivered is being sent to local post offices office where it will be delivered when safe to do so
An estimated 35 routes are currently inoperable down from 451 after the initial impact of the storm
USPS is currently evaluating alternative delivery arrangements for addresses along impassible delivery routes
Replacement vehicles are being sent to local post offices that suffered vehicle damage, enabling them to resume delivery services as quickly as possible
USPS has 21 mobile operations units setup in multiple areas for residents to send and receive mail and packages. For a complete list of those locations, click here.
USPS says any impacted residents who have relocated because of the storm should complete a change of address request as soon as possible.
USPS employees will also be on site to help impacted residents staying in temporary shelters with change of address requests to ensure mail and packages are sent to a designated address.